Looting?!?!?!?!?

Ok, I want to address this again. I did see some looting of stuff you would need to survive. But there are still some dirtbags out there taking things they have no business taking.

I was asked today by my employer to volunteer in New Orleans, starting next week for two to four weeks. We'd be helping to get their food supplies up and running in the Sav-A-Center Supermarkets. ( I work for a food broker, and I rep a lot of products to the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company who also owns Sav-A-Center.) Most of my co-workers are going, but I'm afraid, it looks really scary there right now. Now I have a lot of guilt, because everyone seems to be going, but I just don't think I can go. I'm afraid to go.

Follow your heart and good judgment and don't let guilt or others make the decision for you. Only you know your circumstances and there are many ways to help the world now and in the future. This may or may not be the right thing for you to do. Feel compassion, of course, but not guilt. And accept advice for what it is -- advice. Weigh your options and make them work for others and for you. I'm sure you'll make the right decision and others will benefit from it whether you go to NO or not.

😱

Ok, I want to address this again. I did see some looting of stuff you would need to survive. But there are still some dirtbags out there taking things they have no business taking.

It was not that many years ago when New Orleans received the honor of being the city with the most crime in the nation. I guess it is not difficult to believe the criminals would break their routine.:bang:

I sent in my email last night, I'm not going with the first group. I offered to go with the next group, which they told us would probably be the end of September. No one is going until at least the end of next week. There has been no damage assessment on the four stores we'd be going into, and until that happens, it's all up in the air. There may not even be stores to go into with all the damage that we're seeing in photos and on t.v.

I sell chicken and gourmet items -- I have no business going into a disaster area at this point, is what I came up with. I have two young kids -- and a dog with mange :-( --

I can't go and take a chance. I'll gladly help later when it's safe to go.

Going to NO right now, with the city flooded and outright lawlessness would be as smart as signing up for active duty right now. I would wait for the flooding to be solved before I would go in there.

underthebluemoon....you have made your decision, which I could tell was a hard one for you. You made the best decision for you and your family and should not feel guilty. There are other ways to help right now. I feel for the time being only trained and necessary people should be venturing into these areas.

UTBM,
Good for you for making your own decision. Everyone is at their own unique place in time. That which is right for others is not always right for you at that particular moment. Perhaps you are teaching your kids the responsibility of parenting. As others have stated, you and your kids can find other ways to help from afar. Challenge your kids to create their own way of helping. You may be surprised by their creative abilities.

On the Today show this morning, there appeared to be video of two lady POLICE OFFICERS filling a grocery cart!!!!! I'm not positive but I believe they were in a store where others were looting as well. When asked about it, one said 'I'm doing my job' which was not very convincing and it appeared they did not want to be on camera - go figure.

New Orleans has a pretty high unemployment rate. Maybe locals could get gainful employment at the grocery stores...then it wouldn't be necessary to truck supermarket employees to a Sav-A-Center in a disaster area.

Maybe then they could also stop looting (sorry folks, but stealing jeans, jewelry and electronics less than 24 hours after the storm hit does not qualify as "survival").

I wonder how they could pay for goods which they would buy if the tel lines allowed them to make credit card purchases. If you don't have cash in your pocket, you are screwed. Maybe people will at least get fed in jail. Making a blanket statement about looting is difficult to do, given the severe circumstances, depending on items being looted. I am sure people will be in need of clothes, too.

You are right, SJ. MANY of these folks are desperate. Diapers for a baby sounds like a necessity. I don't excuse the foolishness of taking electronics at this time, but I can certainly understand taking food, clothing, and other items that help one simply survive. This is the worst kind of nightmare and is affecting the entire country.

We have four families from Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian staying at our beach house. They are grateful to be alive.

New Orleans has a pretty high unemployment rate. Maybe locals could get gainful employment at the grocery stores...then it wouldn't be necessary to truck supermarket employees to a Sav-A-Center in a disaster area.

Maybe then they could also stop looting (sorry folks, but stealing jeans, jewelry and electronics less than 24 hours after the storm hit does not qualify as "survival").

Actually, the WalMart they were looting was quite recently opened, in a very poor area, as an effort in urban renewal to provide jobs and low priced food and goods to the sorts of people who were looting it (other than the police looting the store, who have jobs already with our wonderfully effective police force).

The gun rack apparently was cleaned out.

Actually, the WalMart they were looting was quite recently opened, in a very poor area, as an effort in urban renewal to provide jobs and low priced food and goods to the sorts of people who were looting it (other than the police looting the store, who have jobs already with our wonderfully effective police force).

The gun rack apparently was cleaned out.

And how much longer will it now take this Wal-Mart to provide those jobs? Or will they just close up shop and leave the people to themselves? A handful of businesses seemed to have survived...maybe they could have provided a means to get the city up and somewhat functional again someday. Not anymore.

Rationalize this all you want. There is no good excuse for smashing store windows and running around with TVs on your head. Maybe some people did take some food. I'm sure somewhere, someone did. But the storm hit around 7:30 am. By that afternoon there was footage of looting being broadcast. I don't think they were quite at the starvation stage yet. If so, maybe they should have hit your Wal-Mart instead of the pawnshop near Canal.

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

In cities every day - a few policeman are the only thing between you and chaos.

And how much longer will it now take this Wal-Mart to provide those jobs? Or will they just close up shop and leave the people to themselves? A handful of businesses seemed to have survived...maybe they could have provided a means to get the city up and somewhat functional again someday. Not anymore.

Rationalize this all you want. There is no good excuse for smashing store windows and running around with TVs on your head. Maybe some people did take some food. I'm sure somewhere, someone did. But the storm hit around 7:30 am. By that afternoon there was footage of looting being broadcast. I don't think they were quite at the starvation stage yet. If so, maybe they should have hit your Wal-Mart instead of the pawnshop near Canal.

Dude. I live there. I (used to) work there. My life is/was there. I think looters should be shot on sight. That's my rationalization. "Irony" was the tone in my voice.

I have no sympathy for looters. None whatsoever. Diapers & food most likely are available at the Superdome. People were well instructed for years about the risks they were taking if they stay. FEMA has been all over us for years, letting us know what would happen. Nothing that has occurred, nothing, has not been told to people over and over again. People were well instructed over the weekend about the critical importance if they were insane enough to stay about having 5 days supply of food and water. News stations (on all day) begged people to leave. Buses were available to shelters all day Sunday. People were loading up their trucks with wide-screen tvs. That truck could have taken them out of town on Sunday.

I simply cannot express the depth of my non-sympathy for these looters. It is vast and wide.

On the Today show this morning, there appeared to be video of two lady POLICE OFFICERS filling a grocery cart!!!!! I'm not positive but I believe they were in a store where others were looting as well. When asked about it, one said 'I'm doing my job' which was not very convincing and it appeared they did not want to be on camera - go figure.

Doesn't surprise me. I was on Bourbon Street several years ago & witnessed two uniformed police officers on horseback pull up to a window of a bar & knock on it. Out of the window came two beers which they guzzled.

Travel2Much,
I stand corrected. I misunderstood your post and apologize accordingly. It's sometimes hard (for me, anyway) to detect irony and other subtleties in written posts. Sorry.

I used to live and work there myself. My sister still does, but got out to Baton Rouge with the rest of my family.

Again...sorry for misunderstanding you and for coming down a little too hard.

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Correction, Never underestimate the power of people in large groups -- herd mentality. It is okay if everyone else is doing it. What are the police and National Guard to do? Even if they arrest these people, what then? I bet there are more than 10 looters to every cop / national guard person "protecting" the streets. So you want to kill someone? Go ahead, who is to know? :bang::bang:.

...and to think we are worried about terrorists. We have our own American born and raised terrorists. :bang:

Travel2Much,
I stand corrected. I misunderstood your post and apologize accordingly. It's sometimes hard (for me, anyway) to detect irony and other subtleties in written posts. Sorry.

Where is the irony? Could you be thinking of another term?

I just read an article about the looting- and one of the looters was a banker who didn't get out or NOLA and is now on the same desperate level as everyone else. I am seeing lots of pictures of people taking sodas, water, and anything else they can find to drink.

Where is the irony? Could you be thinking of another term?

The WalMart that was looted opened only months ago after a long fight to provide jobs and quality food to poor people in NOLA (some debate about this, but won't go into it). It actually really was beautiful. Getting a major retailer like WalMart to establish a store in that area was a big task. It was hoped that the project would swing around what used to be one of the worst areas of the city. It was a major source of employment for the people living in the area.

The president of WalMart actually showed up at the opening.

Now, it's trashed. No more jobs. No more easy access grocery stores and pharmacies. Wonder if WalMart will risk it. Not a WM shill, but that's that.

Irony, tragedy, villainy, stupidity call it whatever you want.

The WalMart that was looted opened only months ago after a long fight to provide jobs and quality food to poor people in NOLA (some debate about this, but won't go into it). It actually really was beautiful. Getting a major retailer like WalMart to establish a store in that area was a big task. It was hoped that the project would swing around what used to be one of the worst areas of the city. It was a major source of employment for the people living in the area.

The president of WalMart actually showed up at the opening.

Now, it's trashed. No more jobs. No more easy access grocery stores and pharmacies. Wonder if WalMart will risk it. Not a WM shill, but that's that.

Irony, tragedy, villainy, stupidity call it whatever you want.

Gotcha. Tying into that irony is that Wal-mart donated, or is donating, $1,000,000 to the Salvation Army to go toward helping these victims. I wonder how much they are really donating if you consider all of the crap that people are looting from Walmart and Sam's Club?

This looting crap stinks for sure, but more disappointing is that I don't see many stories of people helping people on the National Coverage. People tend to do that which they see others doing. Where are the good stories of kindness, compassion, empathy, assistance, concern, love, giving, etc?

When networks run those stories, viewers jump over to the other stations. They'd lose too much $$ in this rubbernecking society. This was my field of study in college, and even (way) back then, the mantra was "if it bleeds, it leads."

There was just now a video clip with a reporter asking looters why they were bagging up all this stuff - Didn't they know that was wrong. Their answer?
"The police would be stopping us if it wasn't OK. No one's stopping us" :bang:

How nice it would be if the looters were out helping with the rescues or whatever they could do to help. Gosh - just being a good citizen and sitting on his duff would be better! :pissed:

...People tend to do that which they see others doing. Where are the good stories of kindness, compassion, empathy, assistance, concern, love, giving, etc?

80% of the city's population, (and maybe more) has left. No one much around to create good stories. The people remaining outside of shelters that you see doing this looting are the poorest of the poor and the least educated. Many are drug addicts or dealers. Pharmacies are being cleaned out.

And, yeah, I'd shoot the tourist banker who pilfered the grapes, if only because it took him 12 hours only to resort to pillaging out of "hunger". Wouldn't even blink. Except I don't know how to shoot a gun.